SRSeedBurners

She now beatboxes in the aviary for the weirdo neighborlings and visitors we had yesterday. I've created a monster.

Beautiful Sully!

Now wait a minute. He's from Alabama and you are from 'San Diego'. I thought that was in Kali?

I so wished you could record this and post it to youtube. I'd probably die laughing but at least I'd go out doing what I wanted.

Plucking: See the plucking thread. Also, you may never stop it but there are things you can try. Once it's ingrained behavior it may be harder to stop. Toys: you don't have to buy toys all the times. Greys and other birds are notorious for using common items as toys. My Grey for instance LOVES a plain pine board or box made of wood. She'll go after them all the time if available. Pooping: We trained ours to go where we wanted by taking her to the spot and asking her to go. Once she does, we praise her. Also when we get her out in the morning, it's the FIRST place we go to. She still tries to get away with an occasional lazy turd on the chair or my back but so goes it.

Well, that's 650 miles from here. I guess that rules out bringing them here unless you're sailing out of Galveston!

First off where do you live? Second, we don't go on vacation now that we have the birds, or they go with us. I haven't found anyone I'd trust to leave them in the care of. I'd think finding someone who could look after them properly is the way I'd go. I've been searching for years and never found anyone. I absolutely refuse to even consider a boarding place, I'd worry myself sick and completely ruin my vacation.

A great little video of a hummer building a nest. We had them all over the place and I got to handle them and raised a couple of them with my Grandmother's help when I was a kid.

This is a normal part of the GreycieMae's evening. I'm playing a shoot'em up video game and listening to some tunes and she's just hanging out grabbing kisses and attention when she can:

Glad to hear, I cringe when I hear my own voice played back - it sounds nothing like what I hear! I've tried several times to quit the 'baby talk' when I talk to them but they kind of draw it out of me.

I actually started one a while back in the photo and video room: 'GreycieMae TV'. I found it easier to just post individual threads when we get a good video.

Is Sully the other one here that does the beatbox'ing? If so, that's where we got our inspiration. I kept watching that video (if it was Sully) and adamant I was going to teach GreycieMae to do it.

GreycieMae learns everything from her mother. I can't seem to penetrate that little grape...until now! I have finally successfully taught Miss GreycieMae to beatbox! I have no idea how to beatbox for real, but this is my lame version perfectly imitated by the amazing GreycieMae. She has added her own flare to it by adding the little whistle at the end and now she has me doing that too. Of course in the video she'll do her well-versed Kookaburra (wifey taught her that as the wifey is Australian) and the dog call whistle which she uses on everyone including me and Mommy. This was captured during GreycieMae's special evening time, the littles have been put to bed and she usually either play wrestles, beatboxes, loves on her Daddy or some other special activity that she chooses. I just love this girl.

GreycieMae started out very affectionate at first (after her settling period) and then lost it and went through a very bratty phase - probably lasted a couple years. Within the last year she has circled back to being very affectionate, especially during her off-duty time after I put the two inmates in her charge in their sleeping quarters. She gets an extra uninterrupted hour+ with her Daddy which she absolutely lives for. She's always been a very tactile birdy and frequently asks for a wrestle, or to be swung on her swinging chains/ropes etc or she especially loves a good tickle under her wings. I recall asking our breeder if GreycieMae's parents/past siblings were very tactile and she kept avoiding the question by telling me I don't want a velcro bird or one that constantly needs attention (she obviously didn't know me). When we picked GreycieMae up, she was the most aloof bird there which I was not really keen on. She would come see me and then off to sit on a lamp and just look at me. GreycieMae's sister was extremely friendly and tactile, even never having seen me before. That bird was taken or I would have walked out with that one. So all this to say, I kind of wonder if I MADE GreycieMae tactile, I know some of it may be genetics, but I was very hands on from day 1. There are times when I can tell she doesn't want to play rough but most of the time she asks for it by leaning off the back of my chair (or my back) and giving me 'that look' or leaning across my shoulder and putting her fist of furry in the air.

You only need so many keys on a keyboard. Just ask Rio, he remodeled mommy's keyboard to suit his liking:

Greycie does something very similar: she'll roll her head sideways and hold it against my cheek. I'll start rubbing her with my cheek or nose and she pushes into it further. Super cute when she does that.

We have 'The Warden'. GreycieMae rules the Sterling-Ranch aviary with an iron talon. Of course she has a little (read: a LOT) of trouble with the Caique who stands 10 feet tall and is bullet proof. I kind of have to stay in line too or she gives me her version of the Angry Caique, which she learned from our spoiled brat Toby Toby.

Our little cockatiel started saying 'whatchyadoin' a few weeks ago. It's so cute.

Velcro birds are so underrated. I have a second head on my shoulders when I'm home and LOVE it.

Our Grey does her instinctive wild Grey growl/scream every spring when I put the bamboo shading on top of her aviary. She goes ballistic and it takes her a day to get over it.

I use vet wrap all the time. It will leave a sticky residue, but it comes off VERY easily if/when you are done with the vet wrap and just want to go bare bones again. Otherwise I just re-vet wrap over the sticky. All their footsies ever touch is the new vet wrap.

Temporarily you can vet wrap it while she's learning the ropes. It's cheap stuff.

I wouldn't do anything to it unless birdy is slipping. They have a pretty strong grip.

You two trained Joe pretty well it appears!

Sounds like you have a breeder that knows what they're doing.